With the FA in "an absolute inferno of a crisis", enter Boro born and bred Adrian to douse the flames.

It was time, he says to "batten down the hatches and stop creating waves".

It seems no-one knew how to do it better.

"Never tell lies to the press," he says. So though he is being told the new Wembley will be ready in time for the Cup Final, he admits Cardiff has been booked "just in case".

The one-time council employee who was on the receiving end of complaints about Redcar rubbish bins, has come a long way.

"It's very easy for me because I love football," he insists.

In the job for just eight months, there's no doubt he needs all the skills honed in Middlesbrough FC's press office and more than seven years at the FA.

Communications director was always going to be a hugely high-profile role for him to take on.

"It's reckoned to compete only with being in the government, the BBC and the Royal Family," he says.

Adrian reveals with more than a dash of pride that the FA's arch accuser the Daily Mail hasn't printed a bad news story about the FA for a record two whole weeks.

Restoring calm between the FA and the press with his unique brand of charm offensive bodes well for Beckham and Co's World Cup chances come June.

Adrian insists he never talks about Sven's personal life.

What he will say though as his one-time "minder", is: "Sven is a fantastic man to work with and a tremendously nice guy."

So who is Adrian Bevington, a 34-year-old Teessider with the utter determination to succeed in the football world he absolutely loves?

Though he rubs shoulders with all the heroes of English football, he says he is not star struck by them.

"That's really important if you are to do a professional job," he says.

He may be in the same hotel as the team, but his job is to offer judgments which they respect and to jump in at press conferences if the going gets too rough.

He loves his home town of Middlesbrough where he grew up in Acklam Hall and was a winger in the schoolboys team.

"But anyone who saw me play would tell you I was never going to be a professional player," he says.

Being a Boro boy is in his blood and he is still a season ticket holder, though like many a south-based fan, the journey north is long.

He lives in Hertfordshire with wife Andrea and four-year-old son Max, but they are back on home ground to catch family and football often.

But working for the FA is not far short of a 24-hour, seven days a week, commitment.

Apart from the England squad, the FA looks after the country's 15 million players, 37,000 teams and 2,000 leagues.

"I was fortunate as a lad to be a fan supporting Jack Charlton's team," says Adrian.

So he went with his dad to Ayresome Park and has never been afraid in his career to show his passion for supporting Boro.

Now he takes Max with the family and appreciates the fuss they make of the youngster.

He says: "They always look after me well at the Riverside."

Which is where he started his career in public relations after starting as a youth trainee in Billingham on the ICI company newspaper. He took a break in Middlesbrough and Redcar councils but is "eternally grateful" the people running Boro's press office.

People like Alan Berry who was running the club's programme, Dave Allan and Graham Fordy, who helped him on the road to the FA.

"I had some really bad times when I came to London," admits Adrian. "It was a huge step up for me. I was away from the people and place I loved and lived in some awful places.

"There were times when I could have quit but I was determined to succeed no matter what."

This World Cup, Adrian reckons England is due for that big lucky break in Germany after a string of setbacks including the infamous Hand of God.

"We're due some luck and wouldn't it be great if we could follow the cricket success? It would be absolutely fantastic if we could do it, but the margins are so narrow.

"The press has a big responsibility not to whip up a frenzy about the German people and we really want to get that point across to fans."

So after the massive press operation of the World Cup, what does the future hold for the man who has Boro carved on his heart.

"Don't rule out a return," he says mysteriously. "One day I'd love to play a role within the town."